Three Good Reasons NOT to Follow Fashion Advice

You can’t always trust fashion advice, so be careful when considering the source. Here’s why:

1) You think “It looks good on the mannequin. I’ll buy it!”

But, just because it looks good on the mannequin doesn’t mean it’s a winner for you. The retailers are enticing you to buy, by dressing up the mannequin, BUT you probably don’t look like that mannequin! Not many of us do. We have to take into account our own body type, coloring, face shape, facial features skin and hair qualities.

2) “My friend thinks it looks good on me.”

If she can see beyond her own style, coloring and body type, she may be right. Otherwise she could just be imposing her tastes and preferences onto you. Or maybe even unconsciously cloning you into a copy of herself. This is a hard one because, if you can’t see it for yourself, you’ll probably be tempted to follow her blindly. After all, she always looks great, doesn’t she? But you need an objective eye for this. If your own eyes aren’t objective and you don’t know for sure if your friend’s eyes are either, you might want to consider working with a professional who’s been trained to see objectively.

3) “It’s in the fashion magazines.” Fashion magazines have two big limitations. They are:

a) Too generic. They can’t possibly cover all of the variables that make up your unique style or look. General guidelines can be somewhat helpful, but they don’t go far enough. Compare that to understanding exactly why something looks great on you, or not.

b)Too limited. They can only show what’s going to be available for that season which has been dictated by the designers. The designers don’t’ know YOU. They’re just playing out their own fantasies and preferences that don’t have anything to do with you. Well, unless you happen to get lucky on occasion!

Sometimes, it all feels too complicated. You may be tempted to just play it safe. So you stick with basics. You don’t know how to accessorize, so you don’t. But playing it safe often translates into boring.

On the other hand, you may throw caution to the winds and buy your clothes on the whim of the moment. You choose a passing fad, a trend that may be on its way out, a cute little something that doesn’t go with anything else in your closet. But, when you do that, too often you end up with a mishmash in your closet and never know what to wear.

Either way you never feel great in your clothes, and that’s a problem!

What to do?

1) Take the time to understand your style, your personal coloring, and your body type.

2) Learn what works best on you, and don’t buy anything unless you know it’s right.

3) If you feel overwhelmed at the thought of taking on that task and don’t feel you can do it successfully, consider getting professional help. Advice from an expert can keep you on the right track, stop you from making mistakes, and save you money in the long run.